Sunday, November 29, 2009

challenge in your discipline


Veterinary medicine is facing constantly changes related with research and development in different professional fields that it has. Currently veterinarian front a difficult path to cover because many factors and areas like is the use of techonologies, the education we must get , to be connected in a global world and the social matters we have.
Today, technology is the centre of the hole universe, whatever could be the career we study. Veterinary discipline require this tools in the manage of information. Animals must be identified if we work in little animal´s medicine as if we work with big productive species mainly because the tracebility process so any detail must be registrated in different information systems.
Moreover, surgery and medicine in general tend towards the change in procedures to treat the animals, for example ecographyes and radiographyes or diagnosis techniques can be improved through new technologic instruments.
Other things to be covered by vets is the social responsibility we have.This is an important point because is part of the utopia that we should not to forget we are studing to give better things to our society for example the possibility of reduction canine´s population allowing people to accede an castration for pets. Furthermore It is not trivial to think we should be mind for the responsible pet own.
Another thing to consider in our discipline is that improving our knowledge is necessary to face the competitive field we have, therefore we have a journey with no end because we must be always studing and learning more carring out extra courses in the university even time out,for instance a Phd course. It is seems to be forever!!! And if we want to be ackowledged in the discipline it is indispensable to have another abilities like speaking a good English,in fact it is one requirement to get an scholarship in Phd.
Finally, we have many reasons to try to be better and I think it is possible for us sort out all the difficulties we could find in this long path, so we can not give up.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

My experience learning English at the University.


It is true that everybody has to learn english today. Whatever would be the career you choose suddenly you face a world which is demanding people with more capabilities, more education and more abilities to communicate with other in diferent languagues but there is no other more important than English. Unfortunately in Chile no many educational centres has realized about our current situation, and if we as students think about what our veterinary medicine faculty delivery us i really think we have a ´´plus´´ in relation with others veterinarian, a great opportunity to develope the discipline even in other part of the world.

Since i arrived in 2008 to University the course was obligatory for all new students. It was organized in differents levels which were determined by a test. I was in my first term in pre intermediated, which was for me a experience of effort because miss is very demanding with vets and everybody there thougth that we knew enough english but i think now every student in that course changed the mind.
If i compared my experience with the starters and the begginners i think my group did not carry out many activities and homeworks as they did. We did not have blogs, videos to do, histories to tell, absolutely nothing at all but our test were more difficult than the other group had (it was reflected in the marks) and many of us dissapointed of our poor knowledge. It was sad but it was an incentive to wish learn more and do not lose the valuable tool we have in here.

Now the experience is being the opposite to the first year lerning English. The Pilot English course is much better because in this one we have more activities to develop, we have more practical things like conversations in circle and it is not like a common class but it seems to be a new strategy way to teach and involving students with the confidence they migth get to speak. Furthermore, listening is reforced in every class with some test, songs and videos so the students have improved their skills because this kind of learning.

Taking in account all, is true in my first term pre intermediated homeworks and activities in english were a hugely different related with the Pilot course i have taken so i could not improved my knowlegde as i would liked to.In spite of that i think we are being prepared to front problems from differents points of view even using a new languague which is useful because the credible information we can find about cience is in English. Also, It is giving us the opportunities to travel and work in other country spreading labor field to develop.All the adventages named already mentioned show us the importance of demand holistic education and do not lose this central tools.

improving our facilitie's faculty.


University is a place where you would have flaws but there are always exceptions and in our case we have many needs to satisfy. It isn´t about complaining but we as students deserve the best for our own formation as professional people and we are used to complaining we are studying in University of Chile and if this is the best place to learn we should have the best facilities too.
The library is a place where you can not study in peace because there are always people talking loud and you can not be concentrated in spite we have one study room is not always available for us so what can we do? where can we study in silent?. On the other hand there are not enough books for 800 students and the amount of time you can use one is very reduced so is very difficult to make the most we would like.
Another thing shock me when I arrived here, is that the animal facilities are uncomfortable to make some practices and the animals are ill; it´s like this weren´t a veterinary faculty, I don’t like front that situation because yes, we might to know how looks an animal when is not healthy but in here are undernourished too! I think they would be better in the zoo.
The class rooms have lacks too, for example is very little space to make classes for 150 persons, and fortunately we have microphones to hear right but sometime it doesn´t work and this is the worst part because teachers have to scream, student have to scream even when you do and exposition so it must be improved.
The cafeteria is a shame because the food is not the best and the prices are too high, the space is very reduced, and the saleswoman is unkind.
I deal with all this stuffs changing my behavior for example I try to not to buy some food in here, I buy my lunch in mundo granja because the salesman is very friendly (not like woman in veterinary who really bite) or I prefer to cross to agronomy faculty because there is excellent food there. Related with facilities problem we as students only can make a formal complain through "centro de alumnos" and trust directive understand the needs we have.
All in all this faculty can have the problems already mentioned before but we are satisfied with quality of our teachers at least this is not a worry to deal.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Stem cell helps to understand infertility


Well this time the Guardian news paper from UK is the choosen for development of any new related with our career.I decided to write about a recently solution for infertility which has born from the famous stem cells.
This scientist arcticle is focus on differents researches which have been developed about the certain causes of infertility .Mainly this topic is important to sort out because there are many mechanism unknown until now related with the way the reproductive cells turn into healthy cells and when this mechanism fails.
Genetic periods that happen early on the first stage in the development of sperm and eggs are a major cause of infertility in men and women. Understanding the exactly path since the start has been practically impossible to study because the sex cells form early, before an embryo is two weeks old, so understanding the way of how sperm and egg cells grow will help scientists to carry out treatments for people and animals who are left infertile when the process goes wrong, The research it is going to help to put into practice new treatments that can correct growth defects before a child is born.
People who is working in this problem are trying to find out which genes made reproductive cells (isolated from the embryo) grow properly by switching different genes on and off. Until the moment, it has been indentified one gene called DAZL, it is connected in the formation of sex cells from the beggining.
The topic presented in the arcticle has relevance in animal production because many animals can be afected too, in spite the discovery has been made in humans, reproductive medicine of the stem cells had been very widespread in our scientific area.

What do you think vets?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/28/infertility-stem-cell-research

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

My favourite animal


Everybody has a favourite animal because people feel to be reflected with them refering to their own personalities, about one particular characteristc present in it ,the behaviour it shows or perhaps a simple utopia about what we would like to be.

I know maybe people is going to have a bad idea from me because this animal has not a good reputation, many pople think it is an useless, ugly and negigible animal.Well it is defined like the most lazy alive form in the world, this is the Sloth.

This animal live in South America specially in the tropical forest and we can recognize two kind of furry sloth which can be diferenciated by the number of claw that it has. Animals who have two are called Choloepus and who have three are called Bradypus.

In my opinion the sloth is absolutely smart in relation with the way it use the energy in order with the feed it has , in other words only some leafs and stems,it eats a little it moves a little to avoid the loss of calories probably because it has a very very slow metabolism.In spite of the sloth wastes the major part of its life hunging from branch eating, the female is ready to breed one time per year, one baby who hungs from the its mother too, so the feature laziness is presented since it borns. This animal even have their mates in the trees, all vital functions are developed in trees, exc luding have poo and to urinate. At least they are not so thoughtless with the others animals which live in the forest and it is a way to give back the nutrients for being used by the soil and the vegetation. Some authors say the sloth is like the gardener of the tropical forest. At least sloth aren´t so lazy untill the point of being unemployed!

Well i have just watched it on T.V. and it always has attracted me mainly because it is a faithfull archetype of one of the capital sins, to be lazy, not do or be worried for something, only rest, sleep and eat, what can be better!!??. Besides the role sloths has in the nature is complete opposite to any prejudice we could do from it, so appearances deceive.

Overall, i like this animal because it represent one of the unacceptable virtue of our human culture, i am not enough sure if laziness is what people used to think it is, but i am only sure that this animals act slow but safe and we should learn and follow the example.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

So many place to go.


Santiago is chosen by lots of foreigner while they are in tour. That is the reason why some times we can see them taking a guided visit around the city in bus. I am going to name different places that i would recommend to visit and the motive.

firstly, architecture present in compañia de jesus street.there, is located the Precolombine Museum, i considere it`s interesting because inside there is part of our history, it is full of crafts made buy ancestral villages which are representative of our country between them Yaganes, Mapuches, Diaguitas, Atacameños. The exposition presents lots of ceramics, some works made in wood, clay and other things made by themselfs. Tourist are going to find information about our ancient people written next to every craft they find, musical instruments, examples of graves and clothes.

In front of the museum is another pleasant construction i mean, the Ex Nacional Congress, which is open sometimes to citizens. I choose this place because it was my place for resting when i was a student, i used to go there with my boyfriend and there i learnt that Santiago had beautiful places to rest and to be surrounded by native trees, peace and forget the noise pollution. This place is for resting and learning about the vegetation present through Chile, exclusives trees like Peumo, are things they are not going find in other land. That`s why in my opinion it`s attractive.

Well another place i choose is La alhambra palace, it is in the same road and i heard it was an imitation of alambra´s palace from Spain. I like in spite of i´ts smaller than the original, but is a moorish building full of stained-glass Windows, and mirrors inside, fountains and colourful Gardens. Tourist can take some photos and compare after if they travel to know the big one in Spain. At this moment the construction form part of the National Society of Bellas Artes and it is used for painting expositions.

Now, in the corner of Teatinos with Alameda street is situated “Centro Cultural la Moneda” which is under the “Palacio de la Moneda” there, the tourist are going to find restaurant and an interesting exhibition of chilean wine.They can take pictures to the huge panoramic that exist in front.

Besides, walking in the center tourist people can see we have a developed trade system, they can Shopping and they can choose International food, but i advice the central market, there are many tipical plates and i recommend mainly the famous shellfish, taste with lemon, onion and chili.
All in all, i prefer the center of the city when i have to give an advice about what place to visit or to go, because everything is closer , there is a lots of services and whatever you want is in the corner.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

we are chilean !!!



September the 18º, this is an important day for everybody, is a kind of relax in wich the parties , music, drink and food are the main issues for all the citizens in our little Chile.I think this period of the year is to share with family and loved people, overall if you are a poor student who hasn´t have the enough time to have fun in home.I ate a lot this last september 18º, too much babecues , empanadas but i could not taste the delicious flavor that has the "chicha"...i went to buy a little bit in a bottle in San Carlos, people there join with friends to enjoy a glass, and talk for a lot!!! Sadly the place i went had not a good CHICHA, that was bad i heard from the expert people XD. I really like fly kites, overall if you compite with others and you try to send them away, as in our vocabulary say "cortados" whe you cut the wire, you can feel powerful.
This is the better part of the history because i´ve got a different view about our identity like persons who conform a nation,is absolutelly sad to see not much people know how to dance the CUECA in a correct way, but many people dance Cumbia or Reggeton as they were centeramerican people!! By the way, isn´t terrible to see politics dancing so bad, and many of them pay to learn only in orden to not being a shame but for me is the same because we learn to dance Cueca in the kinder garden! little child does better than any of them!.

Finally, the thing i most like is the food, you can taste a plenty of salads and chilean food.Always there is elements with at least myself is not agree, for example THE RODEO,something that i would change of our identity as chilean, i hope every body, in the future enjoy the party, even the cows.